Summary:
• 1. Events sector: how to keep your head above water?
• 2. How can this be done, you may ask?
"Companies are constantly reporting a string of cancellations. For most of them, this automatically means an almost total loss of revenue." These words, spoken earlier this week in Le Monde newspaper by Bertrand Biard, president of L'ÉVÉNEMENT, sum up the heavy atmosphere that has been hanging over the events sector since the end of February 2020.
For more than two weeks now, the 335,000 jobs in the events sector have been threatened by repeated cancellations. Events they had been working on, sometimes for months, have been canceled.
Service providers, agencies, advertisers... The entire value chain has been impacted and must work together to find solutions to absorb the shock.
With more than €32 billion generated in 2018 (EY- 2019), the events industry reinforced its image as a dynamic and thriving sector. But 2020 has brought everything to a screeching halt.
First, events with more than 5,000 people were banned, then, more recently, those with more than 1,000 people. As a result, companies are canceling many of their upcoming events or reinventing their formats. These cancellations are not limited to large events, but also affect smaller ones. In anticipation of the health measures that are likely to be announced in the future...
This past dynamism has led to the creation of many companies. And today, this crisis threatens many jobs. In this context, according to the Minister of Labor, Ms. Pénicaud, 3,600 partial unemployment claims have been filed, affecting more than 60,000 jobs.
In these troubled times, resilience must be viewed through the prism of a boat crossing.
Currently, the boat is rocking, the waves are crashing and damaging the structure. We must therefore act, and quickly! However, turning the wheel too sharply could break the mast. If we react too slowly, the boat will be thrown into the rogue waves.
The helm is the digital shift, the course is the human element, which is the essence of our business. The challenge now is to find the right balance between the two and organize events that do not endanger participants. And, if possible, without going completely remote and dehumanizing the experience.
The first approach is to divide things up.
A set of smaller groups connected on the same comprehensive platform, including live streaming, interactivity, document sharing, and chat, helps maintain a good balance between moments of conviviality and personalized, tailored, interactive content.
Another avenue is geolocation.Similar to a well-known dating app, which we won't name here, being able to match with colleagues may seem like an interesting avenue to explore. Colleagues nearby can attend digital events together. This is provided that the privacy of participants is strictly respected and a secure system is put in place to guarantee the security of the data collected.
Finally, one last small-scale formatseems particularly relevant in this period of reduced event attendance:the Learning Expedition.
A learning expedition, or Lex, is an event format that involves sending employees to learn about a new ecosystem that may not be familiar to them at first glance. This "expedition" allows them to get a feel for an innovative sector. But also to discover its stakeholders (startups, innovative companies, etc.) in more detail. And finally, to capitalize on this special moment to identify possible synergies for their company.
Whether purely for informational purposes or to meet a specific need (call for projects, on the sidelines of a major trade show, etc.), Lex is above all a time for discussion and sharing experiences. It usually takes place in small groups of around 10 to 25 people.
The latter is our favorite and has been the subject of apartnership with the startup ForInov.It has enabled us to combine our expertise to achieve results that exceed our expectations. It is a successful example ofthe combinationofdigital technology(dedicated mobile application, document portfolio, push notifications, interactivity, etc.)and human interaction(sourcing, reverse mentoring, immersive workshops).
Stay tuned, this format will be the subject of a dedicated article next week on our blog 🙂
